Staunchly declining to comment on personalities, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee says there are enough assets with the organisation to enable a sustained improvement in operations which will also push development. Edited excerpts:
Veteran politician and former railway minister Mukul Roy, a key figure in West Bengal politics, has died due to cardiac arrest, marking the end of a significant era.
She was conspicuous by her absence. Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was not present in the Lok Sabha when the opposition members forced an adjournment on Tuesday, raising several issues, including the ongoing Mumbai motormen strike.
"I have already said whatever I have had to say. Now the government has to decide. Mukul Roy will be our candidate for the Railway minister," Mamata said during the filing of nominations for Rajya Sabha elections by Roy, the Union minister of state for Shipping, and three others.
Congress, which is an ally of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, on Monday questioned the recurrence of train accidents and said the railway ministry was not safe in the hands of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party.
The railways could not start various projects in West Bengal announced by former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee as she had not arranged funds for them, Minister of State for Railways Adhir Chowdhury said.
All eyes are now on the low profile Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Minister of State for Shipping.
All eyes are now on the low profile Mukul Roy, Trinamool Congress general secretary and Minister of State for Shipping.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said criticised Mamata Banerjee over the stampede at New Delhi Railway station, saying nothing better could be expected from an "absentee" Railway Minister.
Roy's son Subhrangshu is also a Trinamool MLA from Bijpur constituency of North 24 Parganas.
Angry over the hike in passenger fares in the Railway Budget, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to remove her party nominee Dinesh Trivedi from the post of railway minister.
Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Minister of State for Shipping, Mukul Roy will be the new Railway Minister.
However, he made it clear that he would resign the moment Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Mamata Banerjee ask him to do.
PMO officials said while they had got a request from Trinamool Congress MPs for a meeting with the PM, no letter recommending Trivedi's replacement had been received till late Wednesday night.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee would resign as Railway Minister on Thursday, a day ahead of being sworn in as West Bengal Chief Minister.
As yet another Rail budget is set to be unveiled, Railways has seen several former Ministers like Suresh Kalmadi and Dinesh Trivedi getting derailed after remaining at the helm.
Mamata Banerjee was on Friday sworn in as the chief minister of West Bengal for the second consecutive time, heading a 42-member ministry.
Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has said that there could be an early election in view of the mandate that Samjwadi Party got in Uttar Pradesh.
Attempts by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Governor C V Ananda Bose to pacify her did not bear fruit, as the chief minister chose to seat on a chair along with the audience.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed the Maha Kumbh as a "Mrityu Kumbh" (Death Kumbh), accusing the Uttar Pradesh government of suppressing the actual toll in the stampede that occurred at the religious gathering. Banerjee also criticized the lack of planning and management at the event, highlighting the plight of Bengal residents who died in the stampede. The BJP, however, has condemned Banerjee's remarks, calling her an "anti-Hindu chief minister" and accusing her of political opportunism.
The Indian Railways will not be privatised. It will remain with the government, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said while presenting the Railway Budget in Parliament on Wednesday.
Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the Railway Budget for 2009-10 in Parliament on Friday.
Mamata Banerjee's decision on land acquisition policy for dedicated freight corridor has very serious implications, says A K Bhattacharya.
'Didi' became the real 'Dada' as she got past the post, on a wheelchair and a foot in cast, a souvenir from the Nandigram battle against former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari.
PSUs under the railways ministry include Ircon International, a turnkey infrastructure construction company; Railtel (telecom); Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Company; and Rites, a consultancy, engineering and project management firm.
If necessary, she said, the Railways would provide scholarships. Banerjee, while inaugurating a railway reservation counter at Gariahat area, announced railway connectivity to Maoist-hit areas in West Midnapore and Purulia districts with introduction of two trains on February 13.
Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday ruled out corporatisation of the country's railroad network but said the private sector's participation can be considered for commercial use of railway land in areas like healthcare and \neducation institutions.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had earlier given a tax holiday to the Railways till December 31. Banerjee now wants the tax relief extended to March 31.
A K Bhattacharya says that the Indian Railways has a lot to worry about these days.
The railway minister's indifference to her portfolio, the hesitation to install anti-collision devices that cost Rs 250,000 per km and the debate over the efficiency of home-grown technology are leading to more accidents.
Passenger amenities, safety and security will have priorities in the next Railway budget which is likely to be presented on July 1, Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has said.
The minister said the approach towards accidents will be 'zero tolerance' in the next 10 years and added, "If we plan for it now, we can do it certainly."
Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party, which is in an alliance with pro-Hindutva BJP and the Shiv Sena, noted Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh) and Nitish Kumar (Bihar) -- all secular politicians -- aligned with the BJP for the sake of development of their respective states.
Rediff.com brings to you Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's Railway Budget Speech Live from Parliament at 12.00 noon, February 25
There were no proposals for additional resource mobilisation in her budget. But she has been helped by an all-time high annual Plan allocation of Rs 41,426 crore (Rs 414.26 billion) for 2010-11, up Rs 1,142 crore (Rs 11.42 billion) from 2009-10.
While a host of pro-public announcements made by her in the last Railway Budget (2010-11) have been implemented, Indian Railways' finances have gone from bad to worse.
The Lok Sabha on Monday approved the Rail budget for 2011-12 after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee assured the House of effecting measures to ensure availability of adequate coaches and wagons in the coming years.
Indian Railways has over 1,70,000 vacancies which will be filled after the current recruitment process is reviewed, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Of the total sanctioned strength of 15,66,964 employees, there were 1,72,444 vacancies, she said. Most of the vacancies were in Group 'C' at 1,12,566, followed by Group 'D' at 58,329. There are 1,549 vacancies in A and B, she said.
Railway minister Mamata Banerjee fought off criticism on Friday that her Railway Budget was Bengal-centric and said she had kept in mind the entire country.
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